'A Turkish bath in your own room with perfect safety.'
James Allen and Son recommended their portable bath 'For Rheumatism, Gout, Lumbago, Sciatics, Eczema, and Skin, Liver, and Kidney Affections', and many medical journals were equally forthcoming in their praise. The Medical examiner, for example, wrote on 11 Oct 1877:
'It is not, perhaps, going too far to say that such a contrivance as Allen & Son's Portable Turkish Bath should find a place in every well-regulated household.'
The Lancet was rather more guarded, conceding little, and writing a few months later on 23 Feb 1878:
'This instrument is very complete. It is portable and can be packed in a box less than twelve inches square. It is cheap, and acts promptly.'
© Malcolm Shifrin, 1991-2023